Thousands of years ago, Shiomi used his Reality Marble to utterly defeat the previous generation's Fang of Sub-Bell Wryneck, subjugating him as a vassal. Just one day prior, he again employed his Reality Marble to vanquish the current generation's Fang of Sub-Bell Woodwose. Now, casting this great forbidden spell for the third time, Shiomi would end this calamity.
Britannia's demise was none of his concern; he merely offered a mournful tribute called victory to these soldiers who had fought alongside him to the very end.
Dragged into the frozen wasteland, Scáthach's eyes betrayed surprise. She hadn't expected her beloved disciple to finally complete his own Reality Marble. But—
"Truly worthy of a calamity. Even dragged into a Reality Marble, its very nature corrodes and destroys this world?" Shiomi instantly sensed the anomaly after completing the barrier's deployment. "But don't even think—"
This world remained firmly within Shiomi's grasp. He and the Calamity, now fused as one, were truly like water and fire—utterly incompatible. Only one of them could survive and leave this world.
Shiomi waved his hand, proceeding with summoning an ice dragon of equal size without hesitation. Ice spikes plummeted from the sky, and blizzards howled across the frozen ground. The blazing colossus flickered like a candle flame, seemingly ready to extinguish in the blizzard.
But appearances deceived. The slightest lapse would see the fiery beast melt the ice dragon, piercing the storm to strike the master of this world.
"Seems insufficient. We need something more."
Scáthach landed beside Shiomi. "This is my beloved disciple's mental landscape, temporarily isolating the location of Anomaly World. Then I should also be able to…"
She brushed the ash from her robes, her crimson spear striking the ice. Another surge of Mana manifested here.
"I will show you the true Land of Shadows. Open the curtains to the strange land.—"
The dark clouds in the sky suddenly churned and shifted, coalescing into a vortex. From within, a massive, ice-encrusted stone door materialized, swinging open to reveal its passage to the Calamity.
"Even your soul is mine!! 『Gate of Skye』!"
The stench of death poured forth from within, enveloping the calamity beast's form. A deafening roar pierced the blizzard, shattering the ice dragon's wings and tearing apart its body—it could no longer hold the beast back.
Shiomi's hands danced in rapid succession.
"Northern lands, realm of the end, the frozen realm of Orkney for ten thousand years!"
The surrounding blizzard contracted further, intensifying until it turned an icy blue, transparent, and brimming with frigid Mana. The colossus's movements and flames Freeze Frame in that instant, only to begin writhing the next as it struggled against the freezing bonds.
Melusine and Barghest had long pushed their magical power to the limit, poised to unleash their Noble Phantasms at any moment. Yet Shiomi delayed giving the order. They dared not act rashly, fearing they might disrupt his battle plan.
Watching the Calamity Beast gradually scorch and tear through the icy seal from within, not only Barghest but even Melusine struggled to contain their impatience.
Now immobilized, the Calamity was the perfect target. Unleashing their Noble Phantasms at full power would surely—
Ten seconds, thirty seconds, one minute... three minutes... five minutes...
After five minutes of this standoff, the icy bonds finally shattered. The beast roared as it burst forth, its movements scarcely slower than before. Yet everyone could sense it: not just its Mana, but even the vitality derived from the Sub-Bell of the Fang Clan had been suppressed to its absolute limit.
The Calamity Beast was now utterly weakened. It must not be allowed to recover.
Now!
Melusine flashed an excited smile.
"True Name, Disguise Unfold. The pristine lake surface reflects moonlight—!"
"This horn (sword) is proof of law, a geothermal fortress that corrects all injustice—!"
Barghest followed suit, snapping the horn from her head. As the second-ranked being in the Fang Clan after Woodwose, she had the potential to become the next Sub-Bell.
Yet Sub-Bell, as a singular existence, could only appear once per generation. This rule inherently limited Barghest's nature as a fairy. Only by breaking her own horn could she temporarily access the power to return to Sub-Bell.
That was her true Noble Phantasm.
With both Noble Phantasms ready to strike, the colossal beast showed signs of evasion. This likely meant their attack wouldn't result in a decisive victory.
"Go ahead!"
Shiomi's resolute voice rang out from behind.
Incredibly, the colossal beast was suddenly bound by an invisible force, unable to break free. Before they could even figure out why, the two Fairy Knights unleashed their Noble Phantasms.
"『Know Not Now, Innocent Light of the Lake』!"
"『Blackdog Galatine - Horn of Devouring Sun』!"
Mana as clear as lake water and as fiery as the sun intertwined, engulfing the blazing Catastrophe Beast. The frozen world itself was swallowed by the light.
When the burning wilderness reappeared, the Catastrophe Beast lay fallen upon the earth, its body slowly disintegrating into drifting dust.
"Ector…"
Kneeling beside a rock, Shiomi looked at the Black Knight, half his body consumed by flames, barely clinging to life. Her heart ached.
He had come to rescue survivors, yet his presence had only hastened their demise.
"Your Majesty… there is no need to dwell on this…" Ector spoke with a sense of release. "As a warrior… to die on the battlefield is a blessing…"
"But you shouldn't have died on a battlefield like this," Shiomi quietly shook his head. "Dying because of the consequences our ancestors left behind."
"At least I didn't die of old age in bed… Sage, please take care."
Ector reverted to his former title, halting Shiomi's attempt to save his life, and made his final farewell.
With a serene expression, the Black Sir—a warrior whose life had been spent in battle—ended his long existence as a fairy, watched over by the master he served.
After burying the Black Sir's remains, Shiomi and his companions—who had defeated the calamity yet felt as if they had returned empty-handed—returned to the deck of the Storm Border, awaiting orders in the skies.
After reuniting with Artoria Pendragon, who had remained behind to receive them, the slightly weary Barghest sat on the deck, staring blankly at the still-burning Britannia. In his heart, he silently bid farewell.
"Well done. We'll now prepare for the Storm Border's return voyage, departing this Lostbelt... this Anomaly World Britannia." Romani's voice came through the communicator. "Please return to your quarters for now."
"It's still too early," Shiomi countered.
"Gravity fluctuations detected across all of Britannia!"
"A Level 1 hazard alert from the Observation Prism·SHEBA! Though the cause is unknown, in one hour Earth will—"
"It will be utterly destroyed. Both Humanity's Whiteing and the remaining Lostbelt will be rendered meaningless."
Shiomi stated the outcome calmly, then slowly turned to gaze at the white figure standing on the deck's bow—a figure that seemed to have been there from the very beginning.
"Wouldn't you agree, Oberon, King of the Fairies?"
...
For more chapters, feel free to follow me on P@treon.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
[email protected]/PinkSnake